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Chess

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Dmitry Gurevich defeated everyone he faced earlier this month when he won the $5,000 first prize in the United States Masters Championship in Oak Brook, Ill. But despite his 7-0 score in the event, which was open to national masters and a sprinkling of invited juniors, the 39-year-old Chicago grandmaster did not overwhelm his strongest rivals so much as outfight them.

Tied for second place were the three grandmasters Artur Yusupov of Bad Wiessee, Germany, Alex Yermolinsky of Euclid, Ohio, and Walter Browne of Berkeley, Calif., along with Boris Kreiman of Brooklyn, who is as yet untitled. Each tallied 5 1/2-1 1/2 and received $1,700.

In the Round 4, Gurevich struggled to victory over the New York grandmaster Nick DeFirmian.

If Black delays the pawn exchange . . . ed until after White has advanced 5 e4, then White can recapture with his e pawn, as Gurevich did with 9 ed, changing a Benoni Defense into a King's Indian. As a result, White does not have an e pawn that can be attacked, but he also cannot aim to overrun Black in the center.

With 10 Kf1!?, Gurevich gave up the right to castle, but he had a solid center and controlled more space, so his king was safe and he had more freedom to throw his pawns forward on the king's flank.

There was nothing to be gained by keeping the tension on the kingside, so Gurevich seized space with 19 g5. After 21 h4, Gurevich planned to open the h file for attack. DeFirmian rightly criticized his 21 . . . a6?! as wasting time when he should have played 21 . . . f4! immediately.

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On 24 Ne4!, DeFirmian judged that 24 . . . Bb2?! would have led to Gurevich's advantage after 25 Nd6 Re1 26 Be1 Qg5 27 Nb7. But after 24 . . . Nf5! 25 Bc3, it was too risky to exchange the main guardian of the dark squares with 25 . . . Bc3?! 26 bc. DeFirmian agreed that it would probably have been better if he had taken a strong knight outpost with 25 . . . Nd4! True, his pawn position could have been weakened by 26 Bd4 cd, but his bishop pair would have been valuable.

DeFirmian thought he should have diminished Gurevich's attack by giving rook for knight and pawn with 26 . . . Re4!? 27 Re4 Qg5. But with both players in time pressure, it was hard to keep a cool head.

DeFirmian said: "After 31 Qf3, I believed it was just lost. It was hard to see a move." So he gave up the rook for the knight, which was itching for the powerful blow, 32 Nf6. But after 31 . . . Re4 32 Qe4 Qg5, Gurevich aimed for the decisive removal of the black knight with 33 Bh3!

It would have been useless for DeFirmian to play 33 . . . Ng3 34 fg Bh3 35 Kf2 Qd2 36 Re2 Qc3 because of 37 Qe7 Kg8 38 Qd8 Kg7 39 Re7 Kh6 40 Qf8 Kh5 41 Rh7 Kg4 42 Qf4 mate. Yet after 33 . . . Kf7 34 Bf5! gf 35 Qh1!, there was no way to stop the inroads of the white queen. After 39 . . . Kg7, the simplest way to win would be the endgame following 40 Qe7 Qe7 41 Re7. DeFirmian gave up without waiting for a move from Gurevich.